


Tennessee Whiskey

by helsinkibaby



Series: Tennessee Whiskey [1]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Community: comment_fic, F/M, First Meeting, Gen, Musicians, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-06-10 07:36:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6945958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caitlin needs a job. Joe needs a singer. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tennessee Whiskey

**Author's Note:**

> Theme : Alternate Universe  
> Prompt: any, any, musician AU
> 
> It is cosmically unfair that this prompt pops up after I am catching up on the CMA Awards performances I taped on Sky Arts last week and was enchanted by Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake duetting on this song. I do not need another 'verse in my head!

"C'mon, Joe, we need another singer."

"We do not." Joe's lips were pressed together in a thin line and he darted a look at Caitlin that, if it wasn't disgust, it wasn't too far off it. "Iris and Barry can handle the back up vocals just fine."

Now it was Cisco's turn to press his lips into a thin line and Caitlin knew him well enough to know that he was hanging on to his own patience by a very thin thread. "Yes, because seeing your daughter crooning romantic lyrics with you is just the image that people want to have seared onto their retinas leaving your gigs."

Joe blinked, like he'd never even considered that and, much to Caitlin's surprise, Iris stepped forward. "I don't know, Dad," she said, giving Caitlin a friendly smile. "It might be a good thing to have someone help me do the heavy lifting on the female sections... remember last month when I had that cold and my voice was shot? You were the one who spent a week complaining that the sound was off..." 

"Fine." Joe sounded like it was anything but. "You can audition." That was directed to Caitlin and his brusque tone almost made her want to turn on her heel and walk away. 

Almost.

After all, she had bills to pay and a job was a job, even if her boss looked like he was going to be an ass. 

Cisco clenched his fist together in victory, hustled over to Caitlin and thrust a sheet of music into her hand. "Please tell me you can still sight read," he muttered so that only she could hear him. 

"Like riding a bike, right?" She gave him her best smile as she scanned the music, grinning as she put the melody and the notes together in her head. "This is really good."

"I know." From anyone else, that would have sounded obnoxious; Cisco's smile and little shrug, the way he bounced on his feet, was more cute than anything else. "Look, I know this isn't exactly your kind of music, but Ronnie..."

Caitlin shook her head, wordlessly warning him to stop right there. Cisco and her late husband had been the best of friends and ever since Ronnie had been gone, Cisco had been looking out for her. Even for him though, getting her an audition with Joe West and his band was above and beyond the call of duty and Caitlin was very afraid that if she began thinking of Ronnie now, while about to sing a love song, she might not make it through without tears. 

Thankfully, Cisco got the hint. "All-righty then," he said, turning to the rest of the band. " _Tennessee Whiskey_ , everybody." He sat behind his keyboards, Barry lifted up his guitar and Joe stepped close to the microphone in the middle of the stage. 

"Break a leg." Iris squeezed Caitlin's shoulder as she walked by her to head to the tables around the edge of the dance floor of the club. Her smile and the warmth of her voice were too genuine to be faked and Caitlin found her nerves dissipating somewhat. 

Until she made the mistake of looking over at Joe, who still looked like he would rather be anywhere else but there. 

It was on the tip of her tongue to call the whole thing off but then Cisco counted them in and he and Barry began playing and Joe began singing and she remembered why she'd agreed to this audition in the first place. 

Aside from her needing a job, Joe West had a hell of a voice and she would happily listen to him sing for hours. 

Sometimes, on those lonely nights over the last year, that was exactly what she'd done. 

She let him sing the first verse alone, as Cisco's sheet music dictated, only coming in with her part on the chorus. Much to her surprise, Joe muffed the second line, stumbling over his words, hitting the wrong note but she did the only thing she could, the thing her singing teachers had always drummed into her, and she just kept going, waiting for him to recover. Which he did, with the third line of the chorus and from there on out, their voices entwined effortlessly, seamlessly together. A smile came to Caitlin's face because she hadn't performed on stage since Ronnie, hadn't realised how much she missed it, and by the time the song was winding to an end, there was an answering smile on Joe's face, a glint in his eye that told her he was enjoying this as much as she was. 

When the music faded out, there was a moment of silence, broken when Iris let out a whoop of approval, rose to her feet and applauded. Barry and Cisco joined in and Caitlin felt her cheeks flaming scarlet. "That was amazing!" Iris's grin was ear to ear as she approached Caitlin, pulling her into a hug. 

When Iris released her, Cisco was next. "Is there a roof?" he asked, looking up at the ceiling. "No, there's no roof here anymore. Because you two just blew. It. Off!" He hugged her too then and she giggled as she hugged him back.

"Dad?" Iris sounded doubtful suddenly and when Caitlin lifted her head from Cisco's shoulder, she understood why. His face was inscrutable, twinkle gone from his eye, lips once more in a straight line. "She's in, right?" 

Joe looked her up and down for a long moment and Caitlin didn't blink. Thus, she saw the decision in his eyes the second that he made it, mere seconds before the smile returned to his lips. 

"When can you start?"


End file.
